


Super Nova

by wannabe90sbaby



Category: Passengers (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Friendship, Loneliness, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-15 05:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9220499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wannabe90sbaby/pseuds/wannabe90sbaby
Summary: What if James had been forced to open another hibernation pod before he could get to Aurora?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> i really didnt like what jim did >< i wanted to make my own charrie for the movie, which i did! this isnt technically my first story (my first one is a clerks one but its not done XD) but its the first one im posting ever. i used spell check and my friend savannah proofreads it for me, but there might be typos! sorry if its too differnt from the movie, i only saw it once XD. ill try to keep it as close as i can though :3. 
> 
> you can read my story on wattpad too! https://www.wattpad.com/story/94566182-super-nova i made the cover myself!

Homestead's Avalon glided through the depth of space. It had been flying for thirty years without any trouble. Not that anyone was awake to realize this because everyone on board was in a hibernation. No one needed to be since the ship could repair itself with diagnostics and the little robots on the ship that worked hard to make sure everything was okay for when the 5000 passengers would wake up in 90 years.  
  
Homestead prepared for anything. The ship computers were very advanced. They could even make new flight plans in case of asteroid fields. There was also a shield protecting the ship in case of space debris and the computers could also analyze how big the debris was to power up the ship. Inside the ship were many, many rooms for the hibernating people inside and shops and various restaurants in case people didn't want the cafeteria food. Homestead thought of everything. Especially when it came to the hibernation pods. The people inside were safe and could never wake up, at least until four months before the ship would land on Homestead 2. Nothing could ever wake The Avalon was flawless and indestructible.   
  
But they also said that about the Titanic.  
  
All it took was an ice berg.  
  
And all it took for the Avalon to crash was an asteroid.


	2. Awake and Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim is awake and tries to figure out what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now the actual story starts!!!!!! my charrie doesnt show up yet but i wanted it to be like the movie where it shows james alone for a bit! :D i dont usually write that much so please tell me what you think!!! thank you for reading!

Jim was awake now.

He felt dizzy and weak, like he had just gotten off the G Force at a carnival after eating too many elephant ears. The hologram that greeted him when he woke up told him that it was normal to feel confused and ill after hibernation. He sort of remembered the doctors telling him about the sickness before being put under. He couldn't remember much. It WAS 120 years ago after all.

The dirty blonde still didn't expect to be so screwed up though. His vision and mind were blurry and spinning. The hologram had kept talking despite 'knowing' that it was normal to be confused and ill after waking up. Information flew over his head, he tried desperately to keep up. But there was just a little too much. It was just like high school when he had to try to explain the symbolism of the color red in Of Mice and Men. He just didn't get it. But he was going to try!!!

"You will have a class about how to live on a colony, you are in group two since you are an engineer," the lady in the hologram said as the hibernation pod drove out of the chamber. "We will allow you and the others to get ready in your rooms before the class in thirty minutes."

"Oh... Okay," said Jim simply. What else was there to do?

The pod took him down a hallway then into an elevator. When the doors closed, he heard and felt the pod make a loud **_THUNK_** noise, as if it was bolting itself to the floor somehow. _Probably with magnets?_ He thought, trying to put his engineering knowledge to use. The elevator dinged and suddenly the pod made a **_SHINK_** noise before rolling out the door and into another hallway.

"On this floor and down the hall you will find your room, I will light up the door for you." The hologram said as the pod's straps let go of Jim and a small ramp appeared so he could get out.

Jim nodded and got off the pod. His legs felt wobbly and heavy as he walked. He tried not to fall and was doing really well if he had to say so himself! He was glad that no one else was around to see him struggling. He looked down the hall, which was painted all white and looked really bright thanks to the lighting, then a door glowed blue. That must've been his room.

Once he got to the door, the hologram's voice came out of his bracelet and told him to hold it against the door to open it. He did and nearly fell backwards at the sound of the door sliding open. The room was small and tiny but the engineer knew that it would have everything he needed for four months. Homestead did thing of everything after all!

The hologram popped up once again on the wall, telling him to hold up his bracelet to the scanner to verify his luggage. It took him a minute despite just doing that to get to the room, but his mind was still foggy from hibernation. With that, the hologram smiled then disappeared.

Jim figured he should get ready for his class. He put on a light blue button up shirt with long sleeves, regular old dark blue jeans with a brown belt and black Doc Martens that he would wear all the time back on Earth. He also put on a leather jacket, or was deciding if he should wear it.... Then he wondered _how_ he should wear it. He hung it over his shoulder like a male model then slid it back on then went back to throwing it over his shoulder, trying to figure out what would make him look the most cool. He only had one chance for a first impression after all! He decided to go with simply wearing it normally.

On his way to the classroom, after the hologram popped out of his bracelet and told him where it was when he walked out of his room, Jim noticed that there wasn't any people around. Shit! Everyone must've been in their classes already or not awake quite yet. He started to run in the direction he was told.

There was no one in the classroom when he got there. It was absolutely empty, save for some uncomfortable looking white benches in a half circle and a little stand for the hologram lady again.

"Everyone please sit down now."

Jim looked around. There wasn't anyone. Part of him wondered if the hologram was simply programmed to say that at a certain time, regardless if the room was full.... Or just had one person. Hesitantly, the blonde sat down in the second row of benches.

"Where is everyone?"

"Save questions for the end, please." The hologram said before the room went dark and more holograms showed up behind her, though they were pictures of Homestead 2 rather than other versions of her this time.

Jim closed his mouth but couldn't help but try to speak out as the hologram tried to talk. It kind of sounded like a commercial anyway, one he saw at least a dozen times before deciding to buy a discounted ticket for the colony.

The thought that maybe he was just early came to mind. But something deep inside him was telling him that something was up...

Once the class was over, the blond man ran out of the room and started calling out for someone. Anyone. He kept this up until he took the elevator to the main concord, floating up in the elevator due to lack of gravity for a second.

"Hello! Hello!!! Anyone?!"

But no one replied.

He found a help machine and went to it. Surely this could help him!!!

"What do I do if I woke up from my hibernation pod?" He asked once he touched the screen.

The machine went on explaining stuff that didn't really help the man. Jim sighed and started searching for information on the hibernation pods.

"My pod malfunctioned and I woke up before anyone else. What do I do?"

"That's not possible!" The mechanical voice said, a hollow smile appearing on the screen. "Our pods were designed to think if everything! They are flawless."

"Well if it's not possible, then how am I awake when no one else is?"

The machine just continued to praise Homestead technology. Jim wanted to tear his hair out or destroy the machine. But he knew that that wouldn't help. Maybe he should just look around for someone. Someone human.

He remembered that the crew was supposed to wake up a month before the rest of the passengers. Maybe he woke up a day earlier than everyone else? Part of him was yelling that something was up, but he didn't want to listen. He went back to the machine and asked where the captain and crew were. It told him which floor but that it was only for specially permitted people or for emergencies.

"This is an emergency!" He screamed before running to the elevator.

The door to the captain's quarters was locked. Jim scanned his bracelet countless times only for the ship computer to tell him this was special access only. Furiously, he slammed his hand onto the reinforced metal. Pain shot through his hand, arm then body. He grit his teeth and bared it. There were more important things to do. And it didn't seem like his hand was smashed into pieces either.

The man headed into the ship's storage facility to get his tools. He knew he needed to get into that room at any cost. He was back at the captain's door an hour later and got to work. He broke into the door hatch, hot wiring it to open the door... Only to reveal another door behind it. He peeked into the window, only seeing darkness.

Jim knew he couldn't give up!!!

He used every tool in his arsenal. His sledge hammer, his various buzz saws, and his blow torch when trying to hot wire the door open didn't work. Hours passed and he gave up. He was too exhausted to try to do anything else for now. He'd get back to it the next day, if no one woke up while he was gone anyway. After a hot shower and breakfast...

On his way back through the main concord, he passed by the help machine again. The man let out a sigh, remembering how unhelpful it was. He shook his head and kept going.

He passed by a bar and didn't pay it any mind.

But he saw something in the corner of his eye. He stopped to do a double the triple take. A person!!!

There was a man with dark hair and a red cost behind the bar!

Him dashed to the bar, nearly tripping over himself. "Oh my god! I'm so glad to see another person here..." He said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He felt sweat and grime slide off his face. Gross. He wish he showered before he saw this guy. Or wish that he looked less gross.

The man smiled as he wiped a glass. "What can I get you, Mister..."

"J-Jim! James Preston... But call me Jim." He said, trying not to cry. "What's your name?"

"My name is Arthur... You seem like a whiskey man, Jim."

Jim blinked. "Uh. I guess." Was all he could muster as he started to sit down. As he sat, he noticed the man didn't have legs. Just a metal rod with a wheel.

All his hope and relief came crashing down. This guy was just a robot.

Arthur placed a glass of whiskey in front of him. "What seems to be the problem, Jim?"

"Well... You're a robot."

Arthur laughed. "Android technically. But yes."

"I was just hoping you'd be a person... I haven't seen anyone. At all. I think I woke up early..." He muttered before taking a sip. "I wish I knew how far we were... Wait. Have you seen anyone besides me?" He said hopefully.

Arthur shook his head. "No, you're the first human I've seen in..."

Jim got up out of his seat before the android could finish. "Shit. Well do you know where I can find out how far we are?"

"I believe the observatory can help."

Jim nodded and dashed into the main concord again and once again went to the help machine. "Observatory!!"

He dashed to the room once he got the directions. It was an empty room but he knew it wouldn't show anything until he spoke. "Hello? How far is Homestead 2 from earth?"

The computer started up and showed Jim his home planet then a long white line appeared. It zoomed past Jim and just kept going. The "camera" moved towards another planet at the edge of the room, showing that earth was quite a ways a way from the new colony. "Homestead 2 is a 120 year long journey. It is 60 light years away from earth."

Jim nodded to himself. "How far along are we right now?"

"The Avalon is thirty years into its journey. We will reach Homestead 2 in 90 years."

Jim's blood ran cold. Fear and panic exploded inside him like a volcano full of fireworks. He dashed out of the room, gasping for air while trying not to throw up. 90 years.

That was why no one was on board! That was why the captain's door was closed! That was why Arthur said he was the only human he'd seen!

Jim collapsed on the ground of the main concord. Somehow, he sort of always knew. But he had just hoped!!! He felt like crying. Part of him told him to suck it up, but he knew there wasn't any point. There wouldn't be anyone around to call him names or less of a man for crying. And who wouldn't cry in this situation?

It was hopeless. There was no one to help on board. Everyone was asleep-- but what if  he sent a distress call?! Hope swelled inside him again as he dashed for what must've been the 60th time to the help machine. "I need to send a message to earth!"

"There's a machine that will allow video calls in this room." A map popped up and showed where the booth was. "But it is very expensive--"

"I don't care."

Jim's legs and chest were hurting and tired from running, but he kept running anyway. The sooner he sent that call, the sooner people would be here to help!

The man hit the button on the message desk, bringing up a window where he could record himself. "To Homestead Headquarters... My name is James Preston and I'm a passenger on a The Avalon headed to Homestead 2. It's been 30 years since the ship left and I woke up too early. 90 years too early. My hibernation pod malfunctioned and nothing seems to help me. So someone please help!"

He hit end call and the message sent.

"We are 19 light years from earth. The message will get to earth when we are thirty five light years away. That will be $9000!" The machine said.

Jim simply got up and left. He was doomed. 


	3. A Year Passes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim has been alone for a year now, as great as Arthur is... It just isn't the same as talking to a person. After trying to put himself back into hibernation and failing, Jim notices a beautiful woman in a pod. Months of trying to decide if it's okay, he does the unthinkable...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay!!! here we are!!! finally here!!! my charrie is going to show up, i hope that you guys will like her :3. here's where the story will be a bit different from the movie... on purpose this time ^^;. once again, i dont approve of what him does in the movie!!!! i dont like it at all!!! but i didnt want to be out of character (i think?). but tell me what you think!! thank you for reading!

It had been weeks since Jim sent out that message. Or maybe it was only a few days ago. He didn't know. It had felt like weeks anyway.

Panic slowly faded away, but it was quickly replaced with dread. No one was coming for him. No one was going to miraculously send a message to him telling him how to get back to sleep or at least tell him where the manuals for the hibernation pods were. A sliver of hope trickled into his heart, if he did manage to find some manuals for the ship... He could put his engineering degree to use and figure it out from there. Hopefully.

As quickly as that tiny bit of hope came, it was soon smashed to pieces and those pieces were ground into dust.

Why would it matter? With his luck, he'd probably end up dead. Somehow the pod would eject itself from the ship and into space and he'd wake up again... Only to die within seconds. The universe was cruel like that.

Jim sighed as he sat at the bar, watching the android named Arthur wipe the same glass over and over again.

"Why do you do that?" Jim asked annoyed. He felt a bit guilty for the way he said it, since it wasn't Arthur's fault that he was trapped for the rest of his life alone in space.

"Do what?"

The response went on to annoy the blond even more. "Wipe that glass. There's no one here!"

Arthur laughed. "I was programmed to. If a human just saw me standing here doing nothing, they'd be unnerved. So, when no one is here to order and there is no actual dirty dishes... I do this."

Jim couldn't help but crack a little smile at that. He wasn't even sure why. But he was glad that it happened.

"There's a smile." Said Arthur, smiling himself. "You've been so glum ever since you came back from the observatory deck."

Jim rolled his eyes in response. "Well, I am stuck on a ship all on my own for the rest of my life."

"I'm here with you."

"No offense Arthur, but a robot isn't quite the same as a human. Your programming is really advanced, but..."

Arthur nodded, "I understand. But may I offer you some bartenderly advice, Jim?"

Jim blinked. "Uh, sure."

"Instead of focusing on the negative, why don't you try to make the best of your situation?"

The blond froze. Make the best of his situation?! He was trapped on a metal can taking it's sweet time to a planet he might not ever see himself! What was there to make the best of? He had a crappy room... **Wait.** There _was_ no one _awake_ on the ship. There were thousands of empty rooms not being used... _Oh, he knew where to start now._

"Thanks, Arthur."

"Anytime."

Jim made his way to the captain's door again, grabbing a few of the tools he knew he'd need before heading back to the ship's dorms. Instead of heading to the crappy little closet he had, he went to the exclusive passenger's wing. He cracked open a door and got to work programming the door to read his bracelet to let him in. Whenever the actual owner of the room woke up, Jim was sure that they could easily reprogram the door. Whatever.

The room was luxurious. It was colored porcelain with smooth white plastics and couches on the bottom floor, gold and silver with the walls decorated in cubes and hexagon shaped lights on the wall closest to the white spiraling staircase that lead to the bedroom. The floors were a smooth stainless obsidian tile. It was warm and inviting. The bathroom was also huge and had both a shower that a soccer team could fit inside and a Jacuzzi bathtub that could take up half of the room he was originally assigned. Jim dashed up the stairs and took in the sight of the bedroom; it was just a simple room with one large white floating bed with fluorescent lights surrounding it and a button that would slide out a glass closet. Surrounding the room were walls that were actually huge screens.

"Show me Denver, Colorado." He said, and instantly the screens surrounding the bed changed to a slideshow of his hometown. His heart ached at the sight, but it was comforting all the same.

Jim went on to enjoy other things on the ship, like the gym, Olympic sized swimming pool, the various foreign restaurants where he could get whatever he wanted instead of just the basic menu that taunted him every day in the cafeteria, the arcade's dance game and the movie theater that seemed to have everything.

This was the life!

Or so it seemed.

Everything had seemed so shiny and new at first. Food tasted better then, Hell, he even tried stuff that he wouldn't have dreamed of eating back on earth. But soon, he tried everything.  It was just new! The games were fun but he soon mastered everything and had the top hundred scores. Where was there to go from the very top? The cheers and lights in the basketball court that would light up every time he scored seemed dull and too quiet, or deafening loud and annoying at times, now. The movie theater that seemed to have everything made? Well, it also had a lot of crap too and it seemed like there was just too much of that. The pool was nice, it was serene and still... Just like the ship he was trapped on alone.

The dread that Arthur shooed away those few months ago was back, and it swallowed Jim whole. Everything seemed so grey, dull and morose... Or too bright and loud yet so hollow. The ship was huge and Jim had explored every inch of it, well the parts that he had access to anyway. The thought of breaking into places came to him from time to time, but what was the point? It'd just be another empty space. A ship this big needed people on it. Living, awake people. It was just a cruel reminder to Jim that he was alone.

And because he was alone, Jim didn't bother to groom himself anymore. His dirty blonde hair became exactly that. It was long and fell flat against his head due to all the grease and dirt that built up. His beard grew and grew, it now resembled the hipster that spat in his drink that would serve him coffee back in Denver. But at least that guy groomed his unruly beard. Jim didn't even bother to change most of the time. He felt content in his filthy stained shirts. As content as a depressed hollow man could feel anyway. Sometimes he didn't even bother to put pants on. Who would yell at him? Exactly. No one.

Arthur tried to give him hope, making Jim temporarily forget that the android wasn't... an android. It never worked, but Jim couldn't blame the bot for trying.

Jim wandered along the empty halls. The empty, never ending halls.

He kept going until he reached a door he wasn't sure he had come across before. Then again, all doors look the same after a while. He swiped his bracelet and it slid open, revealing a room with two spacesuits. He walked towards one, noticing how human like it was. It had two arms and two legs, unlike the single wheel that Arthur had. The only thing it didn't have was a face.

Jim leaned against the suit before wrapping his arms around it in a tight hug.

He wept when he realized that it wouldn't hug him back.

Once he calmed down, he slipped into the suit and headed out the door.

"Hello James!" a familiar voice called out. Jim blinked as the face of the hologram that appeared when he woke up showed up in his helmet. "Would you like to take a walk outside?" The hologram asked.

He blinked again. Dumbly, he nodded and the hologram started explaining how the mechanics worked. If he pushed a button on the suit, the magnets in his boots would turn off and he would float, but he'd stay connected to the ship thanks to a tether that would automatically reattach itself or replace itself if he reached certain areas of the ship.

"Turn this knob and pull the lever to open the airlock, enjoy your walk!"

Jim opened the airlock and stood at the door outside, taking in the sight before he worked up the courage to finally step outside.

He remembered the time his family drove to Anaheim when he was a kid and they were going through Nevada, or was it Utah? The desert was dark at night, one of the rare places that didn't seem to be covered in buildings. His dad stopped in the middle of the night, woke him and his mother up and they got out of the car. The sky was alive it seemed. It was awe inspiring. There wasn't any light pollution for miles and miles to cloud up the sky. The sky wasn't black-ish blue like Jim was used to, it was so many colors. There were billions and billions of stars and he swore he could see galaxies. He remembered feeling scared back then. He was going to fall into the sky and drown in the stars.

That night in Utah had nothing on this very moment on the outside of the Avalon. The sight was that night sky times a thousand. Tears stung at his eyes at the sight. Slowly, Jim began to walk along the surface before deciding it was time to float. He hit the button and soon he began to drift into the nothing of space. Well, as far as the tether would allow him.

He felt weightless. He felt like nothing.

Probably because he was nothing.

The nothing around him just proved how small and worthless he was.

He had enough.

He went back inside the ship, the hologram greeting him once again as the tether unhooked itself from the back of his suit. The words went in one ear and out the other. The silence that surrounded him outside still rang inside his ears like church bells. He was nothing. There was nothing here. Nothing was worth living for.

Jim might as well become one with nothing. He turned towards the knob for the airlock and turned it. The door opened and he stood at the very edge of it. He had seconds to decide if he wanted to do this before the tether would automatically reconnect itself.

_Do it._

**_There is nothing for you._ **

_Do it._

**_What are you waiting for?_ **

_Do it._

**_No one would miss you._ **

_Do it._

He shut the door and collapsed on the ground, weeping once again.

**_Useless coward._ **

Weeks passed since that event. It had apparently been almost a year since he had woken up, the only reason why Jim knew this was because Arthur told him.

Jim had finally found the manuals for the ship in the expansive storage space. The ones on the hibernation pod had kept his attention the most for obvious reasons. He read it back to back numerous times, reading it while he ate, reading it when he was with Arthur, reading it when he was alone in his room. He could probably recite it from memory if he wanted.

Once he felt confident enough that he could do it, Jim was inside the hibernation wing again and fiddling with the controls on his old pod. Hopefully, he would be back to sleep and awake with the rest of the crew this time. He was really starting to hate that word, hope. Since it never seemed to work out for him.

Just like it didn't now!

He was trapped inside the pod for several minutes. His breath fogged up the glass, reminding him that he wasn't getting enough oxygen. He felt light headed as he slammed on the glass, desperately trying to get the pod to open or the more unlikely option, break it so he could get out. Eventually, the doors slid open and the pod went upright. Jim coughed as he tried to take in as much air as he could.

He definitely wasn't going to try that again anytime soon!

Angrily, he got out of the pod and got out, every closed pod reminding him of his failure. On his way out of the room, something caught his eye. In the group of pods next to his, he noticed a woman with pale moonbeams for skin and light hair surrounding her peaceful, sleeping face like a white gold halo.

Jim's heart throbbed. He walked to the pod, his hands shaking as it rested on the cool glass that shielded the woman from the horrors he was facing. He kind of envied her. She was asleep, like he should've been. He snorted, rolling his eyes as he tried to decide if he hated this woman for daring not be trapped like he was or if she was pretty and he would've liked her if she was awake.

_Christ. Would you listen to yourself? You're God awful, Jim._

He couldn't believe what he was thinking. This woman did nothing wrong! Why was he thinking like this! He was complete scum!

The man shot an apologetic look at the woman, only noticing how much prettier she was up close now. That made him feel worse. He looked at the name plate on the side.

**Aurora Lane. Journalist. Age 26.**

"Aurora..."

If a buddy of his told him that he was naming his kid Aurora, Jim would've laughed in his face. Well, maybe not. But he would've asked "Are you sure?". But now, that name sounded like the most beautiful thing in existence. Just like the woman who bore it.

He thought about her all the time, like he was a love sick puppy. He talked about the pretty woman he saw in the hibernation wing to Arthur, who looked pleased to see his only customer so happy. Or he would've been, if robots had actual emotions. One day, Jim decided to look her up on the ship computer. She was not only a journalist, she wrote many stories. Stories that spoke to him. He watched her video profile numerous times when he was taking breaks from her books. She was so funny and so kind.

His heart ached as he realized that this woman would never give him the time of day even if she was awake. He was reminded of the girl that he liked in middle school.

"Not even if you were the last boy on earth!"

Jim shook the thought out of his head. He was 33, not 12 anymore. He shouldn't be thinking like this. Wanting to take his mind off of Aurora and that girl, Jim looked up other passenger's's profiles. Or at least, looked at the names and laughed at them all. The ones that stuck out among the 5000 names listed anyway.

"There's someone named **_Galaxy Pepper_**. Finally, there's someone the universe hates more than me." He laughed.

Jim's days felt a little brighter ever since he discovered Aurora. Butterflies fluttered in his chest and he felt warm all over at the thought of her.

**_Too bad she's in there and you're out here, wasting away._ **

He closed his eyes. Here was life, reminding him of his awful fate once again. It was like the universe didn't want him to be happy, even just for a minute.

**_It'd be a shame if something woke her up._ **

Jim's eyes snapped open and he shot out of bed.

**No! No way! He couldn't!**

He tried to go throughout his days without thinking about it. He went back to reading the hibernation pod manuals to try to learn what he did wrong that time... Only to keep coming back to the pages explaining how to manually wake someone up. He would slam the book shut and throw it across the room. He found himself watching Disney movies, movies that his grandparent's grandparents watched back in the day. One that he liked watching was Sleeping Beauty, where the princess was a pretty blonde named Aurora...

"OH FUCK OFF!" He said to himself, getting up and out of the theater when he realized what he was doing.

Thoughts kept creeping in his mind and nagging him like his mother did when she wanted him to clean his room or to do his homework when he was a kid. Only this time it was worse. But those thoughts just kept screaming louder and louder.

"Arthur, I need advice." He finally asked, two months after he first started getting these thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Say you were stuck on an island all by yourself. But you could wish someone there with you so you wouldn't be so alone. Would you do it? Even if you knew that it'd be trapping that person there with you forever?"

Arthur stood there. "...This isn't really a robot question, Jim."

"Okay.... So you know how I found the most beautiful, perfect, funny woman ever right?"

"Miss Aurora, yes."

"Well... If I woke her up... Would that be the wrong thing to do?"

Arthur shook his head. "What do you think?"

Jim sighed. "It's... wrong. Forget I asked."

Two days later, Jim was back at the bar talking about this situation again. "But let's say that the ship malfunctioned and it just kills everyone in the pods. It'd be bad if I didn't rescue her right? Like, she'd be dead..."

"I don't know, Jim. What do you think?"

A week later, Jim was back with another dilemma. And the next week. And the week after that. And after that.

Two months later, Jim was inside the bathroom with scissors in hand. "You're just going to cut your hair and beard. There's nothing fishy about that." He said the same thing as he showered and put on a fancy cologne that he stole from a shop. He said the same thing when he was in the hibernation wing, just to check for other people waking up by mistake. Nothing else.

He sat beside Aurora's pod, his tool box in hand. Just in case. He opened up the panel on the side. Just in case. He slid open a drawer full of wiring just to make sure everything was functioning and like the page of the manual he had open just in case. Just in case...

Suddenly, the lights and power shut down. It was dead silent. Jim heard his heart pounding and blood rushing to his face. He could hear a pin drop. Then the lights were back on and the sounds of all the machines beeping and turning back on and running were back. He looked at Aurora's panel and saw her heart rate looked and sounded normal. He looked at her neighbour's, it looked ok too. He looked behind him. Theirs was ok too.

Then he heard rapid beeping and a _**THCK THCK THCK!!!**_ From across the room.

Him ran towards the sound to check it out. The pods surrounding the one freaking out looked okay. Then he looked at the one pod.

There was a woman twitching inside. Her skin was turning blue and frost started appearing on the inside of the glass. Her pod was malfunctioning. In the worst possible way. She was going to die by freezing to death.

Without thinking, Jim ran back to Aurora and grabbed his tool box and ran back to the malfunctioning pod. He cracked open her panel and tried to manually restart the machine. He swapped certain wires and panels, hoping that'd do something. The machine turned off. Then clicked back on. It hissed as it, and the person inside, 'came back to life.'

The pod suddenly moved upright and the various needles and plugs attached to the woman removed themselves.

"Oh God."

He woke her up. By mistake.

"Hello, Miss Pepper." Said the familiar voice of the hologram as the doors to the pod slid open.

Jim nearly snapped his neck as he looked at the panel on the side.

**Galaxy Pepper. Age 29. Doctor.**

It looked like he was stuck with the only other person the universe hated more than him.


	4. Not Alone Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim finally meets the woman he accidentally woke up.

"Hello Miss Pepper!"

The voice finally made Galaxy wake up. Her dark chocolate eyes stung as the bright white lights filled the room. She wanted to rub them but her arms felt so heavy.

"Your name is Miss Galaxy Pepper, yes?"

"W-what?" The woman said, the world was so blurry. "Galaxy... Or Dr. Pepper." She wanted to laugh when she realized what she had just said, but she was too tired.

"You've been in hibernation, Galaxy. It's normal to feel confused or sick. It will be a few days until you're fully recovered."

Eventually, the world cleared up. Galaxy was able to see colors beyond just bright lights and shadows, in front of her was a light blue human-ish shape. But it was still hard to make anything out. Was she talking to a hologram? Her arms felt a little lighter now and she blindly felt out the pod for her glasses, only to find none.

"You will be in Group Seven, with the other health practitioners. It will be a class teaching you about life on a colony."

"My glasses." Galaxy said, cutting off the hologram. "Where are my glasses?"

"Your belongings will be in your cabin, Galaxy. No need to worry. I will help you with locating your cabin and things as you seem to be visually impared. Homestead made sure that The Avalon cares for it's passengers."

"Thank you..." She said with a yawn as the pod began to move out of the room, making her feel dizzy.

Jim watched as the pod left. He fell flat on his ass. The fact he woke someone up was sinking in now. It was an accident. He didn't mean to do this. Now that woman was trapped on the ship like he was.

Well you were going to wake someone else up anyway.

Jim froze. He was going to do that, wasn't he? It was sinking in. If he felt this awful doing it by accident, how would he have felt if he had opened someone's pod on purpose? He couldn't believe that he was willing to doom someone to this life. Yeah, he was lonely but that was no excuse!

He needed to face the music. He was going to tell the woman he woke up what happened as soon as he could. Hopefully, she would understand.

**xxxx**

The hologram sure was right about feeling sick after hibernation. Galaxy nearly fell over as the hologram in her bracelet guided her through the all white halls. As if the ship sensed how hard it was for her to see, a bright blurry glowing blue line appeared on the ground. It reminded the woman of the lines on hospital floors that told people where to go.

Soon, Galaxy was in her room. Even without her glasses, she could tell it was kind of crappy. It was about as big as the bathroom in her house on earth. She shrugged. She would only be here for four months anyway.

"Your class begins in an hour. Please get ready. Scan your bracelet on this panel right here to register your luggage and it will be delivered automatically."

A panel on the wall glowed. Galaxy held her hand over it and it dinged. Within minutes, her bags appeared in a shoot on the wall. She opened up a pocket on her pink and black backpack and found her hot pink glasses case and opened it. She put on her glasses which were square and had little bedazzled jewels on the frames and stars on the arms.

Everything was clear now. It was a relief to be able to see now!!!

She wondered if she had time for a quick shower. She felt kind of gross, and she also looked weirdly grey blue when she looked in the mirror. Galaxy thought about it for a minute before just deciding to shower. First impressions were important. She didn't want her fellow calleges to think she was gross. No one would want to get treatment from a doctor that looked sick or like they couldn't take care of themselves.

Fifteen minutes later, Galaxy stepped out of the tiny bathroom, her short black hair still a little wet, and looked through her suitcase for something to wear. She settled on a pair of simple comfortable pair of underwear and sports bra, because who would even see under her clothes? No one. Then she put on a pair of simple blue skinny jeans and a baggy  grey turtleneck sweater she got for Christmas from her mother before she died. To top it off, Galaxy put on a pair of black combat boots. This was a lot more plain than what she normally wore, but she wanted to look professional without looking too stuffy. She knew she had a pants suit in the bag somewhere but that's just too much. She looked in the mirror.

Her light brown skin looked like it got its color back after her shower. Her full lips spread into a pretty smile at the sight. Looks like it was a good idea she showered! She wondered if she should put on some makeup or just go natural. She shrugged, going into her makeup bag and putting on her coverup and foundation. After that, she put on some light black eyeliner and dark red lipstick. This would have to do. She still had to do her hair after all.

**xxx**

Jim walked in circles in the grand concord. He felt nervous. What if that girl thought he was lying and woke her up on purpose? Still, it was the right thing to tell her what happened.

The elevator doors swung open and there she was. Galaxy Pepper. That woman he woke up. Jim looked at her and gasped. She was pretty.

She was different from Aurora, who was pale and blonde haired. Galaxy's hair was short and dark and reached her chin and curled up just a little bit. Her skin was brown like toffee or maybe like honey, it looked healthy. It was a golden brown and reminded him of the sun, like how Aurora's resembled the moonlight. Especially since she was looking weird and sick thanks to the pod malfunction. Her eyes were also a chocolately brown. Jim only saw Aurora's eyes in her profile video, and they were a sparkling ice blue.

"Hi!" Galaxy said before running over to Jim with a dazzling smile. "Are you a crew member or..."

"No, passenger."

Galaxy nodded. "Same. Anyway, have you... Seen anyone? I went to my class and there wasn't anyone. At all. Not even in the hallways. The hologram acted like it was full and."

Jim raised his hand. "I'll tell you everything over lunch, how about that?" He figured it'd be easier to tell the news if she had something to eat and was sitting down.

Galaxy blinked. "Uh, ok. Sure."

They walked to the cafeteria in silence. Jim was too nervous to say anything and Galaxy was just... Quiet.

When they got to the cafeteria, Galaxy noticed that this room was completely empty too. She blinked. The cafeteria in school when she was growing up always at least had a few people in it. The hospital cafeteria was like that too. Why wasn't there anyone here?!

She looked over at the man, wanting answers now. But he just kept walking and went to the large machine. He hit a button and was given a really basic looking lunch. A sandwich, apple and what she guessed was yogurt. Galaxy frowned. This was a luxury ship wasn't it? Why was the food crummy looking?

"Are you going to eat?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah."

"Let me show you how the machine works." Jim said as he put his tray on a table. Galaxy sighed before cutting him off.

"I'm not a little kid. I can do it myself." She said before hitting a button that looked good. Maybe Jim just couldn't handle anything tastier than white bread and plain yogurt.

"Sorry! That's for our golden class passengers." The machine said.

Galaxy glared hard at the machine and hit another button. She heard Jim laugh behind her, making her more mad as the machine kept telling her everything GOOD was for the golden class. When she finally got an option she could have, it was a sandwich, yogurt and an apple. Yikes!!! The woman sighed and took her tray and sat across from Jim, who was picking at his sandwich.

"You'd think they'd have more options for people that paid nearly a million dollars to get onto this stupid ship." Grumbled Galaxy before she took a bite out of the sandwich. She gagged when she realized it was tuna. It took everything within her to not puke all over the table and swallow it.

"You paid full price?" Jim asked.

"Yeah. My savings are gone now to say the least. I have some insurance money left over so I won't be completely broke when we get to the colony." She said staring at her yogurt. Maybe if she put yogurt in the sandwich, it'd cover up the tuna.

Jim blinked. "Why didn't you go for a discount ticket?"

"Homestead might take more money from me that way, since they take a percentage of your paycheck on Homestead 2 right? It rubbed me the wrong way. They have enough money as it is..." She said before deciding to just dump the yogurt onto the sandwich.

Jim stared at her weirdly. What was she doing? "What are you doing?"

"I hate tuna so maybe this would cover it up..."

He smiled. "What are you, 9 years old? You're so picky."

The ravenette rolled her eyes. "29, thank you. I can't help that tuna makes me sick. It's all my family ate growing up." She took a bite. Ick. It was still gross, it was easier to chew and swallow though. But the bread was getting soggy. "Is it like this everyday?"

"Sometimes they have soup for lunch. They have different meals depending on the time of day."

"So I'm guessing that it's like McDonalds where you can't get breakfast after 11..." Galaxy said with a smile.

Jim laughed. "Exactly."

The woman noticed how nice the man's smile was and blushed a little. He was pretty cute. But then she realized... She didn't know his name!!! "Oh my god. I'm so sorry I didn't ask sooner but what's your name? I'm Dr. Galaxy Pepper."

Jim blinked. He knew her name already but then he realized something about her. "Dr... Pepper? Dr. Pepper."

Galaxy laughed. "Yes. That's my name... Laugh. It. Up. But at least tell who you are!"

Jim was still giggling at her name as she talked. He forgot how good it felt to talk to someone real. Arthur knew jokes but they were kind of stale and he never laughed at Jim's stories or jokes or little things like this. He looked over at Galaxy, who was staring at him patiently to tell her his name. "James Preston. Jim. Call me Jim."

"Ah... Normal name..."

Jim blinked. "What do you mean?"

"There's nothing wrong with your name so don't get mad. It's just funny when there's people with names like James, Tyler, Jennifer, Chris or Kevin... Because it makes stuff like mine sound even dumber than usual."

"Galaxy isn't dumb..." Jim defended. "It's... Unique."

"Uniquely dumb, maybe. It's okay, Jim. I learned to laugh at my name when I was in preschool. And had to get used to people making Dr. Pepper jokes when I became a doctor."

The man smiled and she smiled back. Galaxy wondered if maybe he thought she was a little cute as well. Then she shook her head. She just met him...

"Anyway. You know I'm a doctor. So, what do you do, Jim?"

He blinked. "Well, I'm an engineer."

"Niiiice." Galaxy said, though Jim wasn't sure if he was being made fun of. "Have you done anything big? Like design bridges or something?"

"Nah, they usually found someone more renowned than me." He shrugged, smiling lightly. "To be honest? I'm just a glorified mechanic at this point, and even that didn't get me a whole lot of work back on earth. Gave me time to read up on robotics and other things in the field... I won't bore you with details. It's fine."

Galaxy shook her head. "Even if you're not some big name fancy engineer... Not that I would know about that sort of thing, different fields and all, I still think it's pretty neat."

"Well being a doctor must be neat."

It was Galaxy's time to shrug. "A lot of it is mechanical now. We're only called in for surgeries where it might be too difficult for a machine. But we get some authority over it, I guess. Also we're more patient oriented, I guess." She smiled. "That's the part of my job I like. Helping people and making a connection... I hope my patients on earth found a suitable doctor that meets their needs. It's the most I can do besides giving them recommendations for other doctors. I can't exactly go back, it's been over a hundred years. I can help more people on Homestead 2, and maybe a little more personally since I'm not sure if they have all the equipment as earth does."

Jim froze. Shit. He needed to tell her now... "Dr. Pepper..."

"Oh, call me Galaxy! Or Gal... or Gala. Whatever does you best."

He swallowed. "Galaxy..."

"Yes?"

"I totally understand if this upsets you. I get it if you never want to speak to me again after this but..."

Galaxy narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about..."

Jim took a breath. "A year ago the ship malfunctioned or something and I woke up."

"That's... That's impossible. Surely they must've had plans for if this happened."

Jim shook his head. "No. They didn't."

Galaxy froze. Her heart stopped. "W-wait... So... you were by yourself for a year."

He nodded.

"You woke up before everyone then... And." Then it clicked. "W-wait. There's no one here. There's no one but is here. I haven't seen or heard anyone but you. W-what..."

Jim reached out gently and took her hands. "T-the ship had another malfunction today. Your pod was malfunctioning, you were going to die in the pod and..."

"So you woke me up." She said, pulling her hands away.

"Not on purpose. I was trying to fix your pod, restart it since the malfunction seemed to shut off everything but turned it back on. Yours was the only one to break."

"Jim..."

"It was freezing you. There was frost showing up immediately. You were awake or something, you were moving around inside and I couldn't just..."

Galaxy opened then closed her mouth. "Was... That why I looked so... Off before I cleaned myself up?"

Jim bit his lip. So she noticed how sick she was. "Y-yeah. I swear, I didn't. I didn't mean to wake you up. It was an accident..."

"...Jim. How... How long until we reach Homestead 2?"

He looked away then got up from his seat. "I can show you..."

xxxx

Jim watched as Galaxy collapsed onto the observatory floor like a sack of potatoes. His heart ached to see another human go through what he had. But at least it would be easy for her with him here. He wondered if he should hold her or if she didn't want to be touched. When he was in her situation, he longed for the touch of another person. He let out a small sigh and put his hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Galaxy."

"89 years..." Galaxy said, her voice shaky as if she was about to cry. Years welled up in her chocolate eyes. "89..."

Jim dropped down onto the floor and wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she began to sob.

**xxxxxxxx**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally done!!! ^^ sorry it took so long to get out. school has been kind of rough and i felt sick a lot >


	5. Five O Clock Somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim takes Galaxy to the bar to meet Arthur.

Galaxy laid in her bed, staring at the smooth greyish plastic ceiling above her bed. Her eyes were stinging from crying earlier and now they were hurting because she rarely blinked as she laid there. She wasn't sure what to do to process this. There were five stages of grief. She wasn't even sure what stage she was on.

"This can't be happening." Was a thought she had, but feeling Jim's strong arms around her and smelling his cologne and realizing that she could even taste it he was so close kind of cemented that this was real. It wasn't a messed up dream she was having while in her pod. Did people dream in cryogenic sleep? Dreams only show up in the last hours before you wake up anyway. It wouldn't make sense.

She was past denial anyway. This was real and it was happening.

The woman felt too empty to feel anger. Who would she even be mad at? Herself for buying the stupid ticket on this stupid ship and leaving her life and patients behind? Homestead for getting into the colonizing business and selling these stupid tickets? Homestead for not creating better quality pods that could stand up to ANYTHING?

She rolled onto her side and faced the wall her bed was against. Then a hologram popped up on the wall. It was Jim, looking nervous.

"Hey. Just checking up on you. Was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the cafeteria. Only if you're feeling up to it." He said, looking away from the camera on the door. He gave a soft smile. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here. I know it's a crazy situation and I'm sorry that someone else has to live with it. But I'll do my best to help you, only if you need it. I'll be waiting in the cafeteria, it's cool if you don't come though."

Galaxy smiled before tapping on the hologram, which opened up the door to the room. She say up and wiped her eyes and saw Jim standing outside, looking surprised.

"Hey." She said, sniffling a little but she still smiled.

"Hey... How're you doing?"

Galaxy shrugged before telling him to come inside. "I'm just... Not sure how to feel."

Jim walked into the room and leaned against the wall across from the bed. "I get that. I wasn't sure how I felt at first when I realized what happened."

"I'm just... You were alone for a year, you said?" Galaxy asked before scooching over to the side a bit and patting the mattress beside her.

He nodded before hesitantly moving over to the bed and sitting beside her. "A little over a year, yeah."

"How did you do it...? I mean, I'm sure even extreme introverts wouldn't fare too well if it was a year. This place is so big and empty. It just... Reminds you of how alone you are. Sorry if I'm rubbing it in."

The man shrugged. "Wish I could tell you. I didn't do very well in the beginning when I realized what was happening..."

"Did it get better?"

"For a little while..."

Galaxy leaned in closer. "How so?"

Jim blushed when he saw how close she was now. It felt more intense than when he hugged her yesterday. "I-I... Well... My friend Arthur. Wait. You haven't met him, do you want to see him?"

Galaxy's warm eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. His friend? Another person? "Is there someone else?"

Jim blinked. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. I... He's a robot. He was the only other thing that could really... Talk to me here. I don't know how I would've managed if I didn't have him, probably way worse than I did."

Galaxy nodded. She wondered if Jim had built Arthur, he did mention reading up on robotics. It wouldn't be unusual or weird for someone to create another 'person' if they were lonely. Or maybe Arthur was just a part of the ship. Either way, it would be a good idea to get out of the doom and gloom room for a bit. "Sure. Show me."

Jim smiled. "Great, he's in the bar."

**xxxxxx**

Arthur was indeed part of the ship. Even if Galaxy was impressed by Jim's engineering background, she kind of doubted that he could create something this sophisticated. At least, not without a degree specially for robotics. And programming. And special effects for movies.

Arthur looked just like a person. His skin looked like actual skin. His movements didn't sound mechanical, well except when he moved his entire body. It was startling when Galaxy saw that Arthur had such a realistic body from the waist up only to have a tripod with wheels for a lower half. She couldn't help but wonder if Homestead blew their budget on the robot's top part. They even went through the trouble of making sure Arthur didn't look creepy like the usual realistic androids at kids restaurants that sang songs. Or the singing virtual idols that they didn't look like an anime character.

"Who is this lovely woman, Jim?"

Galaxy blinked when he spoke. He even sounded like a person! No strange echo or weird tones. Homestead really put their all into this bartending bot!

"Galaxy? Galaxy... Are you there?"

The woman blinked. "Oh! S-sorry. Yeah, I'm Dr. Galaxy Pepper." She even added a little bow. "It's nice to meet you."

Arthur let out a small laugh. "It's a pleasure, Dr. Pepper. What is your preferred drink?"

Galaxy shrugged before going to sit down at the bar next to Jim. "I'm. I'm not sure, I never drank that much beyond coolers or beer at get togethers." She laughed softly before putting her hands on the bar and leant in. "Surprise me!"

Jim blinked. She was 29 and didn't have a favorite yet?

Arthur chuckled and nodded. "Should I 'surprise you' every time you come in?" He asked as he poured Jim's whiskey and passed him his glass.

Galaxy laughed once again. "Sure! Until we find the perfect poison, I guess!"

Jim smiled softly to himself as he took a sip of his drink and felt the burn rush down his throat. He watched Galaxy smile and laugh, noticing how her eyes would sparkle and how they looked more topaz in the light of the bar. She looked so much better now than she did when he checked up on her. Even if it was hard when it was just him and Arthur, Jim knew he had to try to help Galaxy adjust. No one deserved to go through what he did.

Galaxy's eyes lit up when a tall glass filled with bright orange, yellow and red liquid. It reminded her of a sunrise. "A Malibu cocktail, it's a rum flavoured with liquer mixed with cranberry juice and pineapple juice. It might be a tad strong at first."

"This looks amazing! I'll try to keep that in mind though. I have to use the little girl's room, can you point me in the right direction?" She asked, getting up from her seat.

Jim pointed slightly behind and beside him. "Hallway in the corner of the room by the bar. Can't miss it."

She smiled. "Thanks. I'll be quick."

As she left, Arthur stole a glance at the man in front of her. "I noticed that that's not the woman you've been talking about for the past few weeks. Did you decide."

Jim shook his head. "No, no. There... There was a malfunction and it affected her pod, it was going to freeze her to death and I hoped I could manually restart it and it'd go back to normal. Since I saw the other pods go back to normal after the power went out. But I accidentally woke her up..."

"And she's aware of this?"

"Yeah, I told her as soon as I ran into her after she woke up. She kind of took it hard, so let's try to support her the best we could."

"Understood."

"One more thing, Arthur..."

The android looked up from wiping his glass. "Yes?"

Jim cleared his throat, noticing that Galaxy was coming back into the room, he lowered his voice. "Try not to mention Aurora, ok? I don't want her to think I woke her up on purpose because I was talking about waking up someone else."

Arthur nodded.

"Understood."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its so short!!!


	6. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Galaxy get to know each other... through dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so um... i forgot to post chapter 6 here. despite it being out for a yea(?), oops. i still havent seen passengers again (its for free on cable now though so ill try it when im home from winter vacation ^^). writing was really hard for me lately because school is really hard and i got grounded a lot because of my grades and i was having a really bad writers block (i couldnt even work on the other stories i had in my head!! it was so bad!). i have ideas on where i want this to go and actually have DRAMA in here instead of fluffy light stuff but getting there is hard XD
> 
> theres a scene in here that was copied from clerks 2, which has rosario dawson in it <3\. if you didnt know, i imagine rosario playing galaxy XD shes so pretty

Jim learned that Galaxy both didn't want to be alone but didn't want to talk. A lot of their time lately was her sitting in the same room as him, reading something, tapping away at a tablet or doodling. Sometimes she'd sit and watch him tinker with the robots that weirdly started to malfunction. He didn't mind it so much. It felt a little embarrassing to be watched though, since he was scared he might mess up and look like an idiot. But it felt comforting knowing that he didn't have to talk all the time. He was never really sure what to talk about when other people would ask about him.

Though, he did feel curious about what the glasses wearing woman was thinking about. Or writing about. Or drawing. Or just about her in general. They knew each other for a few weeks and spent ALOT of time together. But they didn't know each other. He knew he could watch her profile, but it felt weird since she was RIGHT THERE most of the time. With Aurora, she probably wouldn't have minded since she was a journalist and journalists usually research everything they can on people they interview.

"Galaxy." He said before stopping his tinkering.

"Yeah?"

"Where are you from?" He asked and turned towards her. He watched her blink and put down the tablet she was playing with.

"Canada."

"That's a big place. Can I ask where in Canada?"

She laughed. "You probably haven't heard of it, but Saskatoon. It's the biggest city in Saskatchewan..."

"Are those real names or are you just making shit up?" He laughed.

The woman rolled her eyes. "I can assure you, they're real. I moved there when I was in seventh grade, my family would visit there a lot so moving there wasn't too big of a change."

"Where were you born?" Jim asked, getting up from his spot and sitting on the couch closer to her. "If you don't mind me asking. Was it still in... Sa... Sasatoowan?"

"Saskatchewan."

"Sacatyouchan."

Galaxy snorted. "Sa."

"Sa."

"Ssscatch."

"Catch."

"You."

"You."

"Wan."

"One."

"Saskatchewan."

"Sasquatch."

She rolled her eyes. "Asshole. One more time. Saskatchewan."

"Sassscatchyewone."

"Close enough." The woman giggled. "To answer your question, no. I was born in a reservation in Manitoba. Are we gonna have to go over that too?"

Jim snorted and shook his head. "No, Manitoba is easy. So, reservation..." He felt curious now, would it be rude to ask? "Does that mean you're an Indian?" She frowned before opening her mouth to speak. Jim cut her off, realizing his mistake.

"Native. Native American. Sorry."

She gave him a smile. "It's okay. America uses that word more often but try not to make a habit of it, okay? That's not what we are and I'm not sure how that guy mixed up Native people with people actually from India." He nodded. "But yeah, I'm Native. Or First Nations, since I'm Canadian."

Jim smiled. "That's interesting. I'm just... English and Irish or something. Scottish? Around there. Anyway... Why would you visit Sas... Saskatoon? That's a different province, right?"

She shrugged. "My aunt moved there because of a job transfer and she was close to my mom. So we'd go there a few times a year and it was just... A lot of fun. It was the best during the summer because there were festivals and fairs going on. It usually meant I got to go to three fairs that year."

"Three?!" He wasn't sure why he was surprised by this, since his town had tons of festivals growing up. Maybe it was because he never really went to them?

"For some reason, there would be a tiny little fair that'd stop in the reserve for a weekend before heading for the city an hour away.  My older sister would work there for the weekend and get some cash for the fair in the city, which was a lot bigger since they had more room. You can't really fit more than a Ferris wheel, haunted house and a few spinning rides in the arena parking lot there. So then next week, we'd go into the city for the fair that weekend." She stopped then shook her head. "I'm talking too much. How about you? Where are you from?"

Jim blinked. Did he not mention that before? Oh well. "Well... I'm from Denver, Colorado."

"The Mile High City..."

He smiled, rubbing his neck and looking away for a bit. "Yeah. It's in the Rocky Mountains and it's the capital city... There's a lot of art and museums there. Huge music scene, at least back in the day."

"Yeah? I never really heard much about Denver, sadly. I had no idea there was a big art scene. You only really hear about the mountains... Sorry! I'm. Talking over you."

"It's okay. I don't really know what to talk about... I didn't really do the art thing after I graduated school, so there might've been more stuff going on. I liked camping and hiking with my dad in the mountains though. He was always more outdoorsy than me but I liked that he included me in these kinds of things. I think it's because my grandfather never took him out that much and that's when a lot of the natural stuff was being torn up for more businesses or living areas. It's probably just me overthinking but, I think my dad wanted me to see what little was left of the earth, I guess. Even if there's less of it than when he was growing up." Jim realized how much he was talking and stopped before looking over at Galaxy, who stared at him with big eyes. "Ah, I don't really know where that came from. I don't like talking about myself that much."

"Oh no! It's okay! And I'm the same way. I always end up talking too much and I feel bad, like I'm boring people."

Jim flushed a little. "Well, you don't bore me when you talk."

She touched his hand and smiled. "Same goes for you."

**xxxxxx**

Galaxy roamed the empty halls, not really sure what to do. She wanted to see Jim, but felt kind of guilty for constantly bothering him. It would be something if he wanted to spend time with her, since he was alone for so long. But she didn't really have an excuse beyond feeling needy and there simply was no one else but Arthur. She always felt a little weird sitting at the bar and not ordering a drink. Part of her said it wouldn't matter, since he's a robot and wouldn't mind and another part of her told her to just order as many Malibus or Long Island Ice Teas as she wanted. There was no one on the ship, they couldn't judge. And it had to be after five somewhere. At least if she did that, she was bound to have a fave drink eventually. She always felt a little lame when she'd sit with Jim and not know what to get.

Despite not wanting to bother him, Galaxy found herself in front of his door, her tanned hand floating in front of the doorbell. Her breath was caught inside her throat and her brain was going a mile a minute. Should she ring the doorbell? Or should she go? Should she stay or should she go now?

Before she could even decide, the door slid open.

"Oh, Galaxy!" Jim said, surprise obvious in his voice. "What's up?"

The doctor choked on her words, words she wasn't even really sure what they were. "Oh, um. Nothing, I was just..."

Jim smiled. "Come take a walk with me."

She nodded. "Okay."

They walked in silence together. Galaxy felt like she should be talking, normally she would be okay and comfortable with silence. But for some reason, she felt nervous. In a good way. She shook her head before stealing a glance at Jim, who looked calm, collected and even had a tiny smile.  _What is he thinking?_  The doctor thought before stumbling into the ground.

"Oh jeez, are you okay?" Asked Jim, who gave held out his hand for her to take.

Galaxy blushed and gave him a nod before taking his hand and marvelled at how big it was. It was rough, which made sense considering how he probably worked with them often. She felt self concious about her own hands though, they were dry and rough because she was constantly washing them in the hospital. She never really took care of that sort of thing, not even when she was dating someone. But why did she care now? "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Is your ankle okay? You're kind of wearing high heels."

She laughed once she was on her feet and looked down. There was a pair of black high heeled boots that came halfway under her knee with big chunky heels and a pair of minty green tight skinny jeans tucked in them. She wore a big baggy magenta sweater with a turtle neck under a leather jacket with buttons with old bands from the 1990s on the collar. "I've taken worse tumbles in these shoes, I'll be okay. Thank you."

"I'm just worried you won't be able to do the thing I was gonna show you now..." Jim said with a light laugh.

"And what's that?"

He grinned before taking her hand once again and pulling her into the direction of god knows where.

**xxxxx**

"Are you serious?"

"I mean. Yeah. There's lots of things to do on the ship... I did most of them already but. It'd be fun with someone else... Or it'd be funny to see you  _try_ to beat my high score."

Galaxy smiled sweetly before bending down and pulling the zippers of her boots up as high as they can go. Just to make sure. She shot him a wicked grin as she walked up to the platform and threw off her leather jacket. "Well I'm about to erase every score on this board, Jim."

The hundreds of scores and the initials JCP disappeared from the walls surrounding the room once a hologram appeared in front of Galaxy. It wasn't realistic like the ones that taught the colony classes or greeted people when they woke up from the pods, it looked like a video game character.

"Ready?!" The game said.

"Yes!"

"Okay! Follow me!"

Music started to play. It was an older song, one that Jim remembered hearing his mom play while she cleaned. Sometimes his dad would come home early and see her dancing while she cleaned and joined in. Back then, it kind of embarrassed him. He never really liked the song because of that, but now it didn't seem so bad.

_I really wanna stop_   
_But I just got the taste for it_   
_I feel like I could fly with the boy on the moon_   
_So honey hold my hand, you like making me wait for it_   
_I feel like I could die walking up to the room, oh yeah_

Galaxy laughed as she swayed and spun out of sync with the character she was facing. Her dark hair was short but long enough to whip her in the face when she danced, she would laugh even more or scrunch up her face whenever it'd do this. Despite how high her shoes were and how she fell by simply  _walking_  earlier, she was doing great and wasn't stumbling or shaking as she spun gracefully.

Jim swallowed.

_Late night, watching television_   
_But how'd we get in this position?_   
_It's way too soon, I know this isn't love_   
_But I need to tell you something_

She would bounce a little on her knees in time with the drums and cymbals in the background, even if the game wasn't doing that. It kept yelling at her to copy the other dancer exactly, but she didn't care. She was getting into it. The song was picking up and so was she.

Jim shuffled from side to side, his pulse quickening as he focused on the lyrics and tried not to be enchanted by Galaxy's dance.

_I really really really really really really like you_   
_And I want you. Do you want me? Do you want me too?_   
_I really really really really really really like you_   
_And I want you. Do you want me? Do you want me too?_

Jim felt like he made a mistake by actually listening to the song. He felt embarrassed, kind of like he did back when his dad would dip his mom down after spinning her around to this song. But it was for an entirely different reason. He was sort of relating to the music.

Galaxy was looking at him as she'd dance. Her eyes were glittering like the stars that made up her namesake. He smiled in response, hoping that he wasn't blushing like crazy despite his face burning up like a house fire.

_Oh, did I say too much?_   
_I'm so in my head_   
_When we're out of touch_

_I really really really really really really like you_   
_And I want you. Do you want me? Do you want me too?_

She wriggled her hips and swung her arms as she shot him these looks. Was she trying to say something? Or was it just him hoping? He slid off his jacket, feeling too warm right now. His heart was beating so fast and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He felt so bubbly and nervous, but in a good way.

The song slowed down a bit, but he didn't feel any slower.

_It's like everything you say is a sweet revelation_   
_All I wanna do is get into your head_   
_Yeah we could stay alone, you and me, in this temptation_   
_Sipping on your lips, hanging on by thread, baby_

Jim stepped onto the platform and the game registered him. A second character showed up beside the one Galaxy was against.

"Second player recognized! Team battle!"

Galaxy's eyes shot open and a wide grin appeared on her face. She laughed as she grabbed Jim's hands and spun  _him_  around.

_Late night, watching television_   
_But how'd we get in this position?_   
_It's way too soon, I know this isn't love_   
_But I need to tell you something_

Even though Jim had played this game and was pretty much the master for a year, he was doing kind of badly right now. He could blame it on how despite playing it so often, the computer never played this song. He could blame it on the fact that it was his first time playing with a partner. And how it have him the  _girl_  part. He could blame his poor performance on how pretty Galaxy looked with her dazzling eyes, silky hair that kept hitting her in the face, her enchanting smile and laughter that sounded like fairies singing by a babbling brook.

_Wait, what?_

Galaxy's hands were on his waist and his slid up to her shoulders as they moved back and forth before the music exploded and picked up.

_I really really really really really really like you_   
_And I want you. Do you want me? Do you want me too?_   
_I really really really really really really like you_   
_And I want you. Do you want me? Do you want me too?_

It was getting harder and harder to ignore the lyrics now. Jim was feeling the music and what the singer was saying now. He wondered if Galaxy was feeling the same way.

He wondered if she felt the sparks he did when the game had them touch hands and her wrap her thin arms around him. He was sure that if someone from his old job on earth saw him right now, he would probably get laughed at. But he didn't care.

It was just a game. He told himself.

_Oh, did I say too much?_   
_I'm so in my head_   
_When we're out of touch (When we're out of touch)_

_I really really really really really really like you_   
_And I want you._   
_Do you want me? Do you want me too?_

Jim was kind of glad that this wasn't a slow dance song, per say. If he was feeling this embarrassed over a peppy pop song, how could he handle a slow sensuous one? He could barely stand doing that when it was just him, he felt really silly. But with Galaxy here, he'd have to worry about doing this with her...

The music suddenly slowed down and the game characters slid their arms around each other and got real close. Then they had to do it. Galaxy felt so warm and soft against him. The game characters held hands and lifted them up and spun slowly. They did the same, Jim bit his lip to keep himself from gasping at the spark of electricity again when they held hands. The game character slid his hands down the girl'a sides and onto her waist and lowered her down, which Galaxy tried to do but Jim was taller and a lot heavier.

_Who gave you eyes like that?_   
_Said you could keep them?_   
_I don't know how to act_   
_Or if I should be leaving_   
_I'm running out of time_   
_Going out of my mind_   
_I need to tell you something_   
_Yeah, I need to tell you something_

"Jim, ow." Galaxy simply said when he grabbed onto her a little too tight when she went to dip him.

"Sorry." He said, voice shaking like his legs were to keep himself upward since he knew he was probably a little too heavy for the doctor to hold him up.

"It's okay." She smiled at him, her eyes glittering once again.

He wanted to stay in his uncomfortable position forever, but then the music exploded once again.

_(YEAAAAAAH!) I really really really really really really like you_   
_And I want you. Do you want me? Do you want me too?I really really really really really really like you_   
_(Oh, oh, ohh!)And I want you._   
_Do you want me? Do you want me too? (Do you want me, too?)_

Jim was now glad that she was wearing such high shoes because there was no way for him to accidentally step on her toes as he awkwardly danced along to the song that was picking up more and more.

Part of him wanted it to be over, so then they could do something else and pretend nothing was happening. But the other part of him never wanted it to end, embarrassing memories and him being a 'girl' here be damned.

_Oh, did I say too much? (Did I say too much?)I'm so in my head (I'm so in my head)When we're out of touch (When we're out of touch!)_   
_I really really really really really really like you_

_And I want you._   
_Do you want me? Do you want me too?_

The song ended there, and they were once again in a dip. Galaxy was panting and her skin was a bit red, but Jim convinced himself that it was from the dance and not him. He smiled at her sheepishly, which she returned genuinely.

Then her arms gave out and he crashed onto the floor and she fell after him and on top of him. Their faces were right up close. Jim felt her heavy breath against his blushing and damp skin and her heart beat.

Galaxy let out a laugh then looked away and rested her head against his chest. "Sorry I dropped you. You're really heavy."

"It's ok."

"Let me... rest here a bit."

"Ok."

The game announced that they had won and they had beaten the top programmed score, only to make fun of how sloppy Jim's movements were and that Galaxy technically won. He ignored it, but the woman on top of him was laughing and bragging.

But he didn't mind at all.


End file.
